Student Success Manuel“Do it our way and we’ll guarantee an A”

Team Project

Contents:

Useful Tips on how to succeed in college!

1) OrganizationOne of the most important aspects of succeeding as a student in college is to stay organized and on top of all your school work. This is a very important strategy. Some examples of staying organized would be to get an assignment notebook, or something where you can write your class schedule down and the homework/projects due for each class. This will you to avoid “surprise” assignments that you may have forgotten about. Keep this notebook with you and in class when the teacher assigns something write down what you need to do for that assignment or project and the due date. Another helpful thing is to make sure all of your school books and notebooks and anything class related is separate from other things in your room. It is easy to lose school books or notebooks in a messy room. Cleaning up and keeping things in their rightful place will help to avoid this disaster.

2) ObservingGet to know your professors and the way they teach and give tests. Everyone is different in the way they do things and professors are no different. For example, some teachers like to give hints about what is going to be on the test if you just ask. Others will schedule a separate review day where they’ll go over the test before it’s taken with any students who are willing to listen. When you go to take the very first exam in a class, don’t stress about it too much, this is basically you getting to know how the professor quizzes and tests the students. After you have completed the exam you will have a better idea on what to study for the next test, because with tests professors follow the same pattern. Also, observe other students in your class and notice who the good note-takers are and who asks a lot of questions and does more interaction with the teacher. These are the people you will need to come to if you miss some classes or have to copy someone’s notes. Another good thing to know is to figure out what kind of learning style

you have. This will help with how you process information that is gone over in class.

3) Test-Taking Information

3)Test Taking skills There are a lot of tips for test taking to help you when you are studying for and taking an exam. You need to be sure to Read the directions carefully, this may be “obvious” but you can avoid many careless mistakes by doing this. When you finish a test, be sure to go back over it (if there’s extra time) and makes sure you answered each question to the best of your ability. When you first get the test make sure you skim over the entire test and see which questions are worth the most and note the multiple choice and true/false questions. When you are finished with the test don’t leave right away, go over it and read the questions and your answers over again. Another test taking tip is that sometimes your teacher will put an answer to a question in another question, or ask it in a different way later. When this happens you’ll be able to figure out the answer and this can help avoid a lot of stress when you are struggling to remember an answer to a question. It also helps to sometimes skip a question that you are having trouble with and go back to it after you have completed the rest of the exam. This is especially beneficial if you are being timed. You should never spend a lot of time on one question in a timed exam, unless you have finished everything else and have spare time to go back over it.

4) AttitudeThis skill is one that can be improved and worked on all your life. Your attitude is very important to getting things accomplished and on time. If you are telling yourself that something is too difficult or you don’t have enough time to finish something then you won’t. Simple as that, your attitude can be a very powerful thing and can be used in a good way or a bad way. Something to help with this is to look at what you

are trying to accomplish over-all, instead of a hard project right in front of you, look instead at, I am doing this project because I want to get my degree and get into a career that I enjoy doing to be able to support myself. When you look at things from a different angle then you will be able to apply this to your attitude and improve it over-all.

5) Study SkillsStudy skills are very important to any college class! You need to know how to study for tests, exams, and quizzes for a class. You also need to know how to keep up with your reading and projects in case your professor gives a pop quiz. If you are on schedule with your reading and going along with the class, then pop quizzes or anything that is “not scheduled” but graded will be a whiz. Teachers like to give pop quizzes to see if their students are really listening to them during the lectures they give. This is why it is important to take notes while a lecture is going on, that way your mind won’t be as inclined to wander while your hands are busy, and this will also help you to pay better attention and catch important key notes and terms.

With these skills and a positive attitude, you will be sure to receive good grades and well rounded education.

“To be able to be caught up into the world of thought -- that is educated. “ ~Edith Hamiltion~

Sources

http://www.studygs.net/tsttak1.htm

http://www.testtakingtips.com/test/index.htm

http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/Papers/testtaking.htm

http://www.clemson.edu/collegeskills/INDEX.HTM

http://www.collegetips.com/college-classes/study-skills.php

http://www.collegeboard.com/student/apply/essay-skills/

http://www.clemson.edu/collegeskills/SEC2PG1.HTM

http://www.palomar.edu/library/subjects/collegesuccess.htm

http://www.wisdomquotes.com/cat_education.html